Moving Forward
by ktoll9
Summary: She found out the truth the hard way and he isn't willing to accept her answers for the behavior of others. Someone needs to be the adult and move on.
1. Chapter 1

_**Moving Forward**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1**_

Friends, family and fans from all over the world watched as a new couple were joined in holy matrimony in front of the world and God. Hosted by Lory Takarada, it was the fairytale wedding of the century, every girl's dream and it was all for her. They pledged their vows. Her eyes trailed up his strong masculine torso to his chiseled features. She caressed a lock of his soft dusty-blond hair and stared lovingly into his light blue eyes with outer edges of the irises rimmed in a darker sapphire. Her fingertips caressed his partially shaven tanned skin and her lips smiled gently as he leaned into her caress. He leaned forward and claimed his hard fought prize. She was his now... Only his and he wasn't about to let any other man touch a single hair on her beautiful head... Ever.

Her lips were soft and plump like a perfectly ripened fruit with equal sweetness. Her skin felt like warm silk and her scent was intoxicating and calming. Had there not been an audience he would have gladly taken her on the spot.

 _ **Japan's Sweetheart Officially Off The Market.**_ That was the headline the moment he kissed her in the church. Many hearts were broken the morning Kyoko Mogami was finally claimed.

 _ **...And This Is How It Began.**_

Ren looked up at Lory in disbelief. _How the hell did this happen? Why was she kissing that arrogant ass? Didn't she hate him? Didn't she promise revenge?_ Ren felt an uncomfortable burning in his mind and chest. It had felt like someone had hit him in the chest with a sledge hammer. Lory then reminded him that the picture was taken the night she saw her mother on television. It calmed the inner beast temporarily.

Lory had then informed him that he was assigning Yashiro to her. She would be making her debut very soon and she needed the guidance. She had been getting an insane amount of offers since BoxR and could no longer make decisions that would be beneficial to her career. She was just turning too many of the good ones down.

Ren understood, he agreed with Lory's decision but the fact that he had seen the picture just could not be erased from his mind. He wanted to know how in hell that happened and why. So he did what any _not-boyfriend_ would do; he made arrangements with their shared manager, who gladly obliged, to meet her later on in the evening and _catch up_ on current events.

* * *

After so long away from him and he being the only man on her mind, she could hardly wait to see him, to just be around him. She had finally accepted that she was in love with him. Never in a million years did she ever think that what had happened, would happen.

For the first time she saw him... She really saw him and knew. First she noticed the familiar behavior. The identical scent of him. After closer inspection, the way he carried himself and finally his eyes. His color contact lens covered eyes. She held back the feeling of utter betrayal, but only until he started to pick and prod for an explanation of Sho's behavior on that very painful night that she more than wanted to forget. Granted she had forgiven her mother and Sho both, but she didn't want him reminding her of the raw pain she had felt. Then she let slip the knowledge her grudges were hiding from her.

Kyoko looked at him with hurt and pain in her eyes. "Excuse me Kuon." She whispered and it shocked him to silence like a verbal dousing of ice water. "I don't believe that is any of your business and I don't appreciate you reminding me of painful events." She coldly informed him, picked up her coat and purse and regally left the small restaurant with what little pride she had left. Leaving Kuon behind to absorb what he had just caused.

For months after their little restaurant encounter, he was air. To her, he was less than air. She knew she couldn't avoid him, merely for the fact that they unfortunately shared a manager. When he tried to speak to her, she would politely dismiss herself and walk away. When he would corner her and demand she speak to him, she would look past him until he finished his rant, then calmly walk away. It was raw and painful being lied to. She hated nothing more than being lied to and made fun of and to her, that's exactly what he had done... Her entire life and never once tried to explain himself or, apologize.

It was after one of these little ranting encounters of his that she was found in a quiet little corner of a room at Fuji TV Studios by a tall, fair-haired and very handsome American singer that was there for an interview also. He was in Japan for a tour and he was being interviewed for the _whose who_ of music on one of the entertainment shows.

Sean Briggs. The very moment that he saw those enchanting golden eyes, he was mystified. Why was such a beautiful girl sitting in a corner, by herself, looking so completely broken? At that very moment he made a personal vow to cure whatever had caused this. It was a crime to leave her that way. He grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler, stood and walked to her. He stood before her and offered the icy water with a soft concerned look.

"You look like you could use this." He gave her a small smile and held out the water then sat next to her on the sofa.

She looked up into his interesting blue eyes and they caught her for a brief moment. "Th-thank you."

He chuckled lightly. "You look like you could use a drink. Hope the water will be enough for now."

She let out a half-hearted small laugh. "You have no idea." She told him as she removed the cap and took a long drink.

"Wanna talk about it? I've been told I'm a good listener." He offered.

She gave him a small smile. "I can't really think about it right now." Her eyes fell to her lap.

He felt a little tug at his heart as he watched her long dark lashes flutter on her flawless cheeks and her small pink tongue moisten her perfectly plump lips. "Um... My name is Sean. What's yours?" He introduced himself.

"Oh... I'm so sorry." She blushed thinking of her rudeness. "Pardon me for being so rude. My name is Kyouko. I'm an actress with LME." She told him, only giving her stage name.

"Wow... I haven't really met many actresses or, actors. It's nice to meet you Kyouko." He paused. "Um... I know it might be too much but... would you like to join me for dinner after the show? I don't know many people around here, except for my band and honestly you're actually the first person that's talked to me like a regular person. It's kind of nice."

* * *

Who is this? Yashiro thought to himself as he spied the very interesting and most certainly not Japanese, well muscled, blue-eyed, dusty-blond, young man resting casually against the wall near the LoveMe locker room as if he were waiting for someone.

"Hello..." Yashiro greeted him.

"Hi..." Sean reached out to shake Yashiro's hand. "Sean Briggs, nice to meet you." He introduced himself cordially.

"Are you waiting for someone?" He asked.

Sean smiled. "Um... Yeah, I'm waiting for a friend of mine. We're going to dinner in a little bit." He explained.

Yashiro nodded. "Oh... Well Briggs-san. It was certainly nice to meet you. I hope you have an enjoyable dinner." Yashiro told him and then entered the room to speak to Kyoko, go over her schedule for the next day and let her know about her new offers.

He was a little bit surprised by what he had found. She was smiling. He hadn't seen that smile for months. It was her natural radiant smile and he wondered what had caused it. Maybe she and Ren finally made up. "Hi Kyoko-chan."

"Good afternoon Yashiro-san." She sounded happy too.

He was relieved. He absolutely knew it couldn't go on forever. He was glad her melancholy was at last over. They went over her schedule and he gave her the new modeling contracts to sign, along with two PV offers. One from an American band named _**Knight Moves**_ and another from _**Bridge Rock**_. He was certain that the American one would give her some exposure to that market and the offer from Bridge Rock would cheer her up. She hadn't been able to work with them for some time.

"Well... I suppose that's it for today, Kyoko-chan. I need to go back to my office. I'll be there if you need anything." He didn't mention that he would be taking care of Ren's business, just in case he wasn't responsible for her upbeat mood. He didn't want to ruin it. He would ask Ren tomorrow about it.

He nodded to the young man as he left and Kyoko grabbed her things, then headed out for the evening with her new friend.

" _ **So... got any ideas on where you want to eat?"**_ He asked with a smile as they made their way to the elevator.

She pressed the button to go down and looked up at him. _**"What kind of food do you like?"**_

" _ **Hmm..."**_ He thought for a moment and the elevator doors opened. _**"I'm not really picky."**_ He told her as they entered and she pressed the button for the parking garage. _**"I actually haven't really met a food it didn't like."**_ He chuckled while rubbing the back of his neck a little shyly.

" _ **Well..."**_ She turned with her back to the doors as they began their descent. _ **"I know a good place we could go."**_ The doors opened to allow a familiar male passenger on. She continued, not paying attention to their fellow rider. _**"That is if you don't mind Sean... It's actually not very far from here and it is pretty good. I know the owners."**_ She smiled shyly with a light blush dusting her cheeks.

The elevator stopped on the first floor and the tall, imposing brunet exited without a greeting or, sound.

Still thoroughly engrossed in her new companion, she never turned to notice his arrival or, departure. One could say that he had been blocked out, almost like a bad experience that one wants to forget.

Sean gave her a mischievous grin. _**"I don't mind at all Kyouko. My driver can take us there... if it's okay with you."**_

She nodded and he led her to the limo that the two of them had taken to LME.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

* * *

Yashiro looked up in surprise at the glowering Ren Tsuruga as he entered the small office. _I thought... Oh dear_. An image of the young man waiting outside of the LoveMe locker room flashed from Yashiro's memory. He had a hunch on who the young man had been waiting for and from the way Kyoko looked when he left, it wasn't going to be good news for Ren.

Ren flopped down on the sofa and brought his arm across his eyes to shield them from the light. He felt a headache coming on. "You know anything about that guy Kyoko was with?" He knew he certainly wouldn't be getting any answers from her. He had written himself onto the same list as Fuwa in bold calligraphic strokes with colorful flashing ink.

Yashiro glanced up from Kyoko's contracts at him. "Can't say that I know what you're talking about Ren." This is a topic he wanted to avoid. When they started arguing months ago, he vowed to keep out of it. He was determined to keep the private lives of his charges separate. He had learned his lesson at the very beginning and it was killing him to see them like this. On the one hand, he completely understood how Kyoko had felt, but on the other hand he could also understand why Ren had lied to her by omission. He also understood the jealousy that Ren felt. However, what he couldn't understand was why Ren did what he did in Guam when he had the perfect opportunity to confess everything. Instead, he made everything much, much worse by lying once again.

* * *

He laughed. _**"Of course I'm not teasing you Kyouko. I am really amazed. You have all of your acting jobs, your modeling career and you still find time to work here on your down time."**_ He smiled at her. _**"Not only that... You're an amazing cook."**_ Sean had already made up his mind. This stunning creature was going to be part of his life, even if he had to move mountains to do it.

She blushed at the compliment. _ **"I really wouldn't go that far. I still have so much to learn."**_

He gazed at her for a long moment, taking in all of her features. _**"Hmm... I wonder..."**_ He whispered in a far off voice that could be mistaken for one of Kyoko's fantasy trips as he rested with his chin propped up on his palm and elbow on the table.

She looked up at him while nibbling on a piece of fish. _**"Hm?"**_

" _ **I was wondering if a pretty girl like you... Well.."**_ He paused a little nervous. _**"Well, do you have a boyfriend?"**_

She looked a little shocked. _**"Um... No... I, uh... I really haven't had time for it since I started."**_ She stammered with a furious blush.

Her reaction told him there was more to it than that. _**"Sorry... I... I probably got too personal, didn't I?"**_

She shook her head.

" _ **It's just you seem like a really sweet person... You're very pretty and you're good at so many things... I just can't see some lucky guy not snatching you up."**_ He flirted which caused her to blush more. _**"I'll stop... I'm making you uncomfortable right now, aren't I?"**_

She shook her head again. _**"It's not that... It's just... It's just there's only ever been one other man that has actually told me that and..."**_ She blushed a little. _ **"Well, for some reason he stopped talking to me."**_ She thought back to Kijima-san and the Dark Moon party.

He attempted to pick up some noodles with his chop sticks. _**"Well, too bad for him."**_

She giggled at his plight, stood up and retrieved a fork from the kitchen, then handed it to him. _ **"Here."**_ She took the chop sticks from him and placed the fork in his hand. He blushed a little and thanked her.

By the end of the evening they discovered they had an incredible amount of things in common. From their poor choices in significant others down to working in the service industry at the beginning of their careers. They laughed, traded stories and before he left, they traded phone numbers, email addresses and promises to get together again before he had to leave.

* * *

Yashiro and Lory were at a loss. For the past week and a half, Kyoko was in the best spirits since she had started working at LME. Not that she wasn't cheery and upbeat when she started or, when she felt something deeply for Ren. It was just a different kind of cheery. It was almost as if she had been locked up for a long time and just suddenly found her freedom. Like she had been restrained and now she was free. They thought that it quite possibly had to do with the evenings when she would turn off her phone and mysteriously be dropped off at her home at around midnight by a dark sedan. It was a perplexing mystery that only a few people knew the answer to and only three people from LME in her close circle of friends would know the answer.

"I have no idea where she is going. It's really starting to worry me and Ren is starting to behave more distant." Yashiro told Lory as they sat in his office trying to solve the mystery of Kyoko.

"I'm not sure either. All I know is she's been going home as soon as she's off work. Ruto never sees her leave and then suddenly around midnight she's dropped off by a black sedan. He's never once seen her leave the shop." Lory sounded a bit distressed.

What the two men didn't know, was that Jelly Woods had been helping Kyoko with her disguise so that she could spend time with her handsome new _friend_. Kyoko had come to her the day before her second date with him and begged her for help. That was the afternoon that Kyoko had discovered, in an offhanded conversation, that Lory and Yashiro had been plotting to match her with Ren. When Jelly had found out the complete situation, she was almost as angry and disappointed as Kyoko with the three men, so she joined the little group of Kanae and Chiori that wanted to help Kyoko find her own way without the interference of others.

Kanae and Chiori suggested the disguises and Jelly suggested that she turn off her phone and remove the battery during her dates to insure that Ruto and Lory couldn't find or, follow her. To have to do all of this, she found utterly ridiculous. Having a private life with them involved was like trying to dodge paparazzi. So, she would be dropped off in the afternoon after work by Yashiro. She would clean up, don her disguise and leave when Sean picked her up. She would remove the auburn wig in his car and store it carefully in her bag. Spend time with the man, that her closest friends absolutely knew she was falling head over heals for, then Sean would drop her off at midnight at home, unhindered by Team LME thanks to the goddess of makeup.


	3. Chapter 3

_**The song used in this chapter is: Start of Something Good by Daughtry.**_

 _ **A/N: Kyoko, Sean and the band members are conversing in English.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 3**_

He looked down to the end of the studio hall. His eyes went wide with surprise and he chuckled. A wide smile crept across his lips when he saw her and her manager. They finally met at the door to the small conference room and they stopped off to the side as to not be in the way, forgetting everything and everyone around them.

"Hey Babe... I didn't know you were the actress they were sending over from LME." He whispered to her as his hand gently touched her ear, stroked down her neck to her shoulder and down her arm to hold her hand.

Yashiro was in shock at the sight. This was the young man that he had seen outside the LoveMe room two weeks ago. How did she know him? How did they ever meet each other and how on Earth did they have this kind of relationship without anyone knowing?

She giggled. "And I didn't know your group's name was _**Knight Moves**_." She whispered back.

He nodded. "Well, I guess this video is going to be easy to make." He chuckled as he led her into the room and pulled out a chair for her.

She looked at him confused.

He smirked. "You'll see." He took the seat next to her and rested his arm on the back of her chair and began brushing her shoulder gently with his thumb.

Yashiro was taking in the whole scene. Watching his hopes for Ren and Kyoko go down in flames before his very eyes. _Well, I guess it_ _ **is**_ _over._ He thought sadly to himself.

"Hey Beautiful..." The drummer greeted.

"Hi Mark." Kyoko returned the greeting.

"I didn't know you were our actress for this video, Kitten." His keyboardist, Matt greeted.

She blushed and nodded.

"Dude! Stop flirting with my girlfriend." Sean scolded.

Yashiro froze at the words. _Girlfriend?_

Sean leaned to her and kissed her temple. "Sorry, Babe."

She nodded and blushed prettily.

Yashiro inwardly groaned at the coming storm.

"Hey Kyoko! Nice to see you again. Did you have fun at the concert last night?" His bassist, Jason asked as he walked in.

She nodded. "It was really good. Kanae and Chiori told me to say hi and that they liked the seats." She told them.

Mark and Jason smirked then nodded.

There was certainly much more going on here than Yashiro or, Lory knew about.

The director walked in and began the meeting. The video would be the confession of a young man and the date between him and his girl, ending in a sweet hug at sunset.

Sean chuckled as the meeting wrapped up. "I kinda switched songs. I wrote it last week." He told her sheepishly. "I couldn't stop thinking of you." He confessed as they made their way to the park across the street from the studio that had been set up for filming. "I wrote it for you..."

She turned to him in surprise. "You... Did?"

He nodded and Yashiro almost choked.

* * *

She walked out of the dressing tent in skinny jeans, a thick, long, cowl neck, light blue sweater, tan, over the knee flat boots with her hair styled naturally like Natsu's and her makeup light. She looked like Kyoko and she was radiant.

 _You never know when you're gonna meet someone  
And your whole wide world, in a moment, comes undone  
You're just walking around then suddenly  
Everything that you thought that you knew about love is gone  
You find out it's all been wrong  
And all my scars don't seem to matter anymore  
'Cause they led me here to you_

Their walk through the park took them to a large fountain where they bought hot cocoa from a vendor.

 _I know that it's gonna take some time  
I've got to admit that the thought has crossed my mind  
That this might end up like it should  
And I'm gonna say what I need to say  
And hope to God that it don't scare you away  
Don't want to be misunderstood  
But I'm starting to believe that  
This could be the start of something good_

They stopped at a little pond to feed some migrating ducks.

 _Everyone knows life has it's ups and downs  
One day you're on top of the world  
Then one day you're the clown  
Well, I've been both enough to know  
That you don't wanna get in the way when it's working out  
The way that it is right now  
You see my heart, I wear it on my sleeve  
'Cause I just can't hide it anymore_

He bought her one red rose from a lady selling flowers, dropped to one knee and presented it to her. She smiled and accepted it.

 _I know that it's gonna take some time  
I've got to admit that the thought has crossed my mind  
That this might end up like it should  
And I'm gonna say what I need to say  
And hope to God that it don't scare you away  
I don't want to be misunderstood  
But I'm starting to believe that  
This could be the start_

 _'Cause I don't know where it's going  
There's a part of me that loves not knowing  
Just don't let it end before we begin  
You never know when you're gonna meet someone  
And your whole wide world in a moment comes undone_

They finally ended up at a little playground and sat on the swings with her in his lap, swinging slowly and waiting for the sunset.

 _I know that it's gonna take some time  
I've got to admit that the thought has crossed my mind  
That this might end up like it should  
And I'm gonna say what I need to say  
And hope to God that it don't scare you away  
I don't want to be misunderstood  
But I'm starting to believe  
Oh, I'm starting to believe  
That this could be the start of something good  
Yeah yea, the start of something good  
Yeah yea, the start of something good  
Yeah this could be the start of something good_

The video went all according to plan with one minor unexpected change that had been accidentally put in by the singer and actress, a long, not so innocent, deep kiss that left everyone blushing at its intensity. There were no obscenely roaming hands or, naughty body movements... Just a really intensely hot kiss and hands caressing hair and back when there should have only been an innocent twirl and hug. The director, producer and band liked it, so they decided to keep it. It fit the song. Now Yashiro knew the mystery behind the nightly disappearances of his female charge and he wanted to die when he realized that this was just as it seemed... a video record of their date and their first kiss. If that didn't convince him, the words mouthed by the singer, "I love you." did.

* * *

Lory Takarada looked up from the monitor in shock. "H-how did we not see this?" He asked in disbelief. Deep down he was happy for Kyoko because she found love, but how was he going to help Kuon through this? What had caused the rift between them? "Yashiro... There's something you aren't telling me..." He narrowed his eyes. "Last time I spoke to her before their falling out, there was no way anything like this could have happened."

Yashiro sighed. How could he keep all of these secrets for them? They were killing him. He decided to tell. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Takarada-san... you have to promise me not to tell them anything of what I'm about to tell you. I am the only person that knows any of this." He made Lory swear.

"Fine, but you must tell me everything. I can't help otherwise." He promised.

"They've known each other since childhood." Lory's eyes grew wide. "They met in Kyoto and because he was so unlike anyone she'd ever met... She thought he was a fairy. He never corrected her in that assumption. They met again in Guam before he dyed his hair for Cain and he... he confessed to her as Kuon but, still led her to believe in her childhood fantasy. When she asked why he was so much like Ren... He lied and told her it was from the magic." Lory rolled his eyes and fumed a bit. "After you showed him the photo of her being kissed by Fuwa-san... He demanded answers, but never told her why he was asking. She finally figured out his identity and that he had been lying to her. Never once did he confess to her as himself or, apologize for lying to her. He only bullied, poked and prodded her for answers and she just shut him out. When they're around each other... It's like she has completely wiped him from her mind. Like he's a ghost she doesn't see him at all.

"I see." Lory sighed deeply in sadness. "I guess there's actually only one thing we can do about this right now since I'm not supposed to know any of this information. I need you to pick who you will keep as your charge. If I keep them together any longer, it will only result in damage. I don't see Kuon confessing or, apologizing to her any time soon... Do you?"

Yashiro sighed and shook his head. "No... It would seem there is something holding him back from it. He absolutely refuses to say anything at all to her without it ending in an argument between the two. I'm really not sure I can choose between them... I wonder if this is what a child of divorce feels like." He chuckled wryly.

"Well... I would prefer you stay with her. I can assign Ruto to Kuon. He's not experienced enough to handle Kyoko-chan and he knows Kuon's situation. I am a little surprised he told you though. I guess he has made a little bit of progress in that area. Too bad I can't put him in the LoveMe Section." Lory commented.

Yashiro chuckled. "I don't think that would be a very good idea, Kanae and Chiori would tear him apart."

"That _**is**_ true." Lory agreed as he poured two glasses of scotch and handed one to Yashiro.

* * *

 _ **~fin~**_

* * *

 _ **A/N: I have decided to end this one here. It is a story about Kyoko moving on, not her relationship in general. I may come back later and flesh out the story with other side stories. I hope you liked it. 8) Thank you for reading.**_


End file.
